Oil-burner safety device.



G. A. WELCH & F. A. ARDRON.

OIL BURNER SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14. 1914.

1,1 83,787. Patented May 16, 1916.

WITNESSES: MIME/Va; I h

- George A. e c 2 D6 7 Fay A Ardron UNITED STATES PATENT onr icn.

GEORGE A. WEI-CH AND FAY A. ARDRON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

OIL-BURNER SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed October 14, 1914. Serial No. 866,576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gnonon A. WELCH and FAY A. ARDRoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvemerits in Oil-Burner Safety Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of means whereby the flow of fuel oil may be automatically arrested upon the accidental or unforseen quenching of the fire. Numerous fuel-oil burning devices are in common use, whereby the oil is mechanically pumped into the furnace through the medium of a revolving or other atomizing apparatus. Should the combustion of the oil thus fed into the furnace cease from any cause, the oil being still pumped, or otherwise forced into the furnace, accumulates upon the floor of the furnace, wasting the oil and making it difficult and also dangerous to re-kindle the fire.

. Another object of the invention is the provision of means to apprise the operator of the arrest of the feeding devices coincidently with the operation of said safety apparatus.

The invention consists in the novel construction of devices for collecting and concentrating the overflow and unconsumed oil upon the furnace floor, in combination with a switch actuated by the accumulation of such oil for cutting off the motive current for the oil feed-pump or other feeding apparatus, as will be fully explained in the following specifications.

In the accompanying drawings, we have shown our invention as embodied in one type of an oil-burning apparatus, but it is obvious that it may also be used in many other places where such regulation is desired.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a furnace with an oil-burner installed, showing the burner and our automatic cut-off in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a top plan view partly in section, of our invention with the upper set of terminals removed.

It sometimes happens that the flame of an oil-burner is extinguished, but in some types of burners the oil supply is not cut off with the extinguishing of the flame. The oil will continue to run into the burner and out into the furnace, causing a great deal of trouble and a waste of fuel. Our invention is designed to cut off the supply before there has been any serious waste of the fuel. We have shown such a burner 1, installed in a furnace 2. The oil supply is forced up through hollow shaft 11 by means of pump 12, driven by motor 3. Motor 3 also turns shaft 11 through gearing, not shown, contained in gear-box 13 and shaft 31, causing the oil to be flung out centrifugally in spray through the annular slot 14 by the rotation of the lowermember 15 of the burner.

If at any time the flame of the burner should become extinguished, the pump 12 would continue to force oil into the burner 1, and it would be thrown about in the furnace 2. We provide a gutter 21 in the floor of the furnace, of any suitable size or shape, to catch this overflow. When the level of oil in this gutter has risen'sufliciently, it flows through strainers 51, and down pipes 52 to an annular collecting pipe 5, whence it is conveyed by gravity through pipe 53.

The reference numeral 6 designates a balance arm which is provided at one end, and immediately under the discharge end of pipe 53, with a receptacleor cup 61. This cup is preferably detachable from arm 6, and is held in place thereon by clips 62. This balance arm is supported from base 63 by bolt 64 passing through sleeve 65, integral with the arm 6, and through standards 66 at each side. It may be provided with an adjustable counter-weight 67 on the end opposed to the receptacle 61. This counterweight is slidable on arm 6, and is secured in position thereon by thumb-screw 68.

At the end opposite the receptacle 61' is attached a switch blade 7 insulated at 72,

holds the switch blade 7 in contact with contacts 71, closing the circuit and permitting the motor to work and pulnp oil to the burner 1. But if the receptacle (51 becomes sufficiently filled, the weight of the oil counterbalances the weight 67, raising the switch blade 7 out of contact with the contacts 71 and stopping the motor, and consequently the pumping of oil to the furnace.

It is desirable that the operator be informed when the motor has been stopped, and to this end we provide a switch 8 similar to the switch 71 arranged above the switch blade 7, and connected to a bell 9. When switch blade 7 is raised by the weight of oil in 61, it contacts with switch 8, completing the circuit and ringing the warning bell 9, which may be placed at any desirable point.

What we claim as our invention, is

1. In a safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, in combination, a distributing head, a motor having an electric circuit provided with contact members associated therewith, a pump driven by said motor and supplying oil to said distributing head, means for collecting the overflow from said distributing head, a balance arm having a switch blade arranged at one end to normally close the circuit of said motor, and a receptacle on the other end adapted to catch the overflow from said distributing head.

i 2. Ina safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, in combination, a distributing head, a motor having an electric circuit provided with contact members associated therewith, a pump driven by said motor and supplying oil to said distributing head, a gutter for collecting the overflow from said distributing head, a weighted balance arm having a switch blade at one end adapted to normally close the circuit of said motor, and a removable receptacle on the other end of said arm arranged to catch the overflow from said distributing head, whereby the weight of the overflow overcomes the weight of the other end of the arm and breaks the circuit of said motor.

3. In a safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, in combination, a distributing head, a motor having an electric circuit provided with contact members, an alarm bell having an electric circuit provided with contact members, a pump driven by said motor and supplying 011 to said distributing head, a gutterfor collecting the overflow from said distributing head, a weighted balance arm having a receptacle for said overflow at one end, and a switch blade at the other end arranged to close the circuit of said motor when said receptacle is empty, and to break said circuit and to close the circuit of an alarm bell as said receptacle is filled by the overflow.

4. Safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, consisting in combination with electrically driven devices for feeding oil to the burner, an electric circuit for energizing said devices provided with contact members, and an alar1n-bell having an electric circuit provided. with contact members, of a balancea rm having a receptacle at one end to receive overflow liquid from the burner, and a switch element at the other end arrangedto close said first named circuit when the receptacle is empty and to break such circuit and close the second named circuit to energize said alarm-bell as said receptacle is filled.

5. In a safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, in combination, a furnace provided with an oil distributing head therein, an oil supply pipe connecting with said head, a pump to discharge oil to said head, a motor operating said pump, an electric circuit associated with said motor and provided with two contact members, a gutter within said furnace in association with said head to collect the unconsumed oil discharged therefrom, down-pipes adapted to convey said collected oil from said gutter, a collecting pipe to receive the oil delivered by said down-pipes, a discharge pipe adapted to convey the oil received in said collecting pipe, a balance arm pivoted intermediate its length having at one end a receptacle to receive the oil from said discharge pipe, said receptacle being detachable from said arm, and at its opposite end provided with an insulated switch blade adapted to complete the circuit energizing said motor, and an adjustable weight mounted on said arm in opposition to said receptacle, and adapted to maintain said switch blade in the motor circuit when said receptacle is empty.

6. In a safety apparatus for liquid fuel burners, in combination, a furnace provided with an oil-distributing head therein, an oil supply pipe connecting with said head, a pump to discharge oil to said head, a. motor operating said pump, an electric circuit associated with said motor and provided with two contact members, agutter Within said furnace in association with said head to collect the unconsumed. oil discharged therefrom, down-pipes adapted to convey said collected oil from said gutter, a collecting pipe to receive the oil delivered by said down-pipes, a discharge pipe adapted to convey the oil received in said collecting pipe, a balance arm pivoted intermediate its length having at one end a receptacle to receive the oil from said discharge pipe, said receptacle being detachable from said arm, and at its opposite end provided with an insulated switch blade adapted to complete the circuit energizing said motor, an adjustable weight mounted on said arm in opposition to said receptacle, and adapted to maintain Signed at Seattle, Wash, this 25th day of said switch blade in the motor circuit when September, 1914.

said receptacle is empty, an electric alarm GEORGE A. WELCH.

bell, and a normally open electric circuit FAY A. ARDRON. 5 therefor adapted to be closed by said switch Witnesses:

blade coincidently as said motor circuit is E. PETERSON,

opened. 1 HORACE BARNES. 

